"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
We often focus on the "things" (food, shelter, and clothing) being added. But do you know what the Kingdom of God itself is made of? It is not found in meat and drink, but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
Put these two verses together, and you will quickly see that the central theme of the Kingdom is His righteousness.
A Gift, Not a Reward
It is expedient for me to say that this righteousness is not cultivated by social upbringing, nor is it attained by doing the "right things" (the works of the law). It is simply received as a gift.
"Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." — Romans 3:22
"Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." — Romans 5:17
Once we have believed in Jesus, we have the right to receive this free gift as children of God. Why? Because Jesus is our High Priest.
Our High Priest Forever
Beloved, this is the very foundation of New Covenant living. Hebrews 8:1 says that this is the main point of everything stated in the previous seven chapters: We have such a High Priest.
He became sin, died, ascended to the Father, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty. As we reach out to receive what our High Priest offers, we literally become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
God has sworn and will not relent. Jesus is our High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (not the order of Levi, which relied on human perfection). The author of Hebrews says this gives us a double confirmation:
It is impossible for God to lie.
He has sworn with an oath.
Therefore, Jesus Himself has become the surety—the absolute guarantee—of a better covenant and our righteousness (Hebrews 7:20-22, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
The Threefold Work of the Holy Spirit
Remember when Jesus spoke of His ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8-11? In this passage, Jesus mentions three distinct categories: the unbelieving world, the believers, and the ruler of this world (the devil).
Notice how the work of the Holy Spirit is completely different for each group:
To the World: He convicts them of sin (specifically, the sin of unbelief in Jesus).
To the Believer: He convinces us of our righteousness in Christ (because Jesus goes to the Father).
To the Devil: He judges the ruler of this world.
Jesus is our righteousness. That is literally His name: "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6). It is unchanging and sure because He is undefiled, harmless, and holy. This is exactly why the New Covenant is infinitely better than the Old Covenant. The Old was based on our works, and it is now obsolete and passing away.
The Double Confirmation
Hold on to His righteousness. That is the Kingdom of God for you—and I haven't even touched on the "peace and joy" part of the Kingdom yet!
But let me leave you with this in closing: If the swearing of God is a double confirmation, go ahead and find out for yourself what else God has sworn to us in the New Covenant. Read Isaiah 54:9-10 for instance, where God swears He will never be angry with you again.
Stay blessed in Jesus. Amen.
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